Low-water alarm.



B. .KADEL, J. A. PILCHER & H. W. CODDINGTON.

LOW WATER ALARM. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8,1915.

Patented May 2,1916-.

BYERS W. KADEL, JOHN A. PILCHER, AND HARRY W. CODDINGTON, OF ROANOKE',VIRGINIA.

Low-WATER ALARM.

Application filed June 8, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, BYERS V. KADEL, JOHN A. PILGHER, and HARRY W. CoDiNG- TON, citizens of the United States, residing at Roanoke, in thecounty of Roanoke and State of Virginia, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Lo-w-WVater Alarms, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to low water alarms for steam boilers and amongthe objects thereof are to provide improvements in the mechanism of suchdevices.

Another object is to provide improved means for testing the operativecondition of such devices.

Other specific objects will appear as the description is set forth.

The invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangementof the various parts as will be described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical sectional. view of a portion ofa steam boiler showing our device applied thereto. Fig. 2 is avertical-sectional view of a portion of the device itself, taken throughthe cross-T and portions of the connecting parts. Fig. 3 is anendelevationa1 view of the bracket as used with the device, the viewbeing seen in the direction. of the arrow A. Fig. 1 is a longitudinalsection taken through the alarm valve.

Referring now to these drawings wherein like parts are similarlydesignated, 1 represents a boiler having a shell 2 and crown sheet 3.Those familiar with this art will understand that the crown sheet 3 mustbe protected at all times by a. layer of water in order to preventburning and blowing down. And this invention relates principally tothermostatic means for sounding an alarm or for controlling the feedwater supply in cases where the water level falls to the danger point.

The general operation of such devices has been explained in detail inour preceding Patent No. 1,127,010 of February 2, 1915, and as thepresent invention works in the identical manner and pertains largely toimprovements over the preceding device, the description of the operationwill not be as extensively given herein.

The essential elements of the mechanism .are the drop pipe 4, thecross-T 5, the expan- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 2, 1916.

Serial No. 32,866.

the alarm valve 9 and the alarm or whistle 10.

The cross-T 5 in the present device is made with four outlets, disposeddiametrically op-- posite each other, and as in the preceding patent.Two adjacent of these outlets, 11 and 12, serve as attachment points forthe drop pipe 4 and the expansion element 6 re spectively. The other twooutlets 13 and 14 are disposed in axial lines with the drop pipe and theexpansion element respectively and form means for cleaning thesepassageways, said outlets being normally closed by means of screwedplugs.

The cross-T in the present instance is secured to the shell of theboiler by means of the ball oint or other clamp joint 15 and the clampstuds 16, such a joint being necessary for the purpose of allowingleeway in the alinement of the various cooperating parts of the deviceand for the purpose of providing such a joint as will not be subject toextensive variations in elevation when neces sary to regrind or take upleaks. In a screwed attachment such as shown in the previous patent, thepeculiar shape of the cross-T makes an entire revolution of the cross-Timperative when taking up a leak in this joint, and this may makevariation enough in the height of the expansion element as to throw itout of line with the guides and other parts. A still further purpose ofthis joint when secured by means of the spaced clamp studs or bolts 16is to hold the cross-T against rotation when the plug is removed from orscrewed into the outlet 13.

The expansion element 6 is secured to the cross-T by means of the balljoint connection 17 or other clamp joint, and the guide 18 for the tubehead 7 is made with an open side so that the expansion element as awhole may be loosed and lifted out for repairs. The expansion element isscrewed and brazed into the tube head 7 so as to avoid possible leakageat this end, as leakage here will defeat the operation of the device.

The tube head 7 and the outer end of the expansion element are supportedand guided in the guide 18, and in the outer end of the tube head, in anaxial line with the outlet 14, is P1O"1Cl6d an outlet 19 with a suitableplug, this being provided so that the entire expansion element and thetube head may be thoroughly cleaned. In removing or inserting th plug inthis outlet there is a possibility of twisting and deforming parts ofthe tube head or the expansion element, hence the guide 18 is madesquare or of any other jaw shape, and the tube head is made with aco-engaging portion, by which means the tube head is secured againstsuch axial rotation. The action of these parts when operating has beenexplained in the preceding patent and it will be simply stated hereinthat as long as the open lower end of the drop pipe remains sealed theexpansion element is filled with water and this water will chill to atemperature below that of the water in the boiler. And when the droppipe is unsealed, steam will fill the expansion element andcommunicating parts, the higher temperature expanding the same andgiving longitudinal movement to the free outer end of the expansionelement and to the tube head. It now remains to utilize this movement tosound an alarm and this is accomplished in the present instance by meansof the lever 8. This lever is fulcrumed at 21 to a bracket 22, thebracket being secured against movement on the boiler by means of thestuds 23. The lever is pivotally connected at 24 to ears extendingoutward from the tube head, the short end of the lever being disposedbetween these ears. By this means is formed an improved and substantialpivot. The plane of the center line of the lever coincides with the axisof the expansion element and tube head so that there are no twistingforces set up in the lever or other parts.

The lever 8 is a bent lever of the first order, fulcrumed between itsextremities, with the long arm of the lever lying approximately parallelwith the expansion element and with the short arm approximately at rightangles to the same, the lever being so proportioned as to transfer andmagnify the travel of the tube head to the outer end of the long arm. Byso forming and dis posing the lever 8 considerable head room is savedand the alarm valve is located in a manner as to make it more accessibleand sure in its operation.

The upper portion of th bracket 22 is made with side walls 25, and thecentral space 26 therebetween forms a space to admit and accommodate thelever 8 and the extensions of the side walls form a sturdy fulcrum point21. The rib 27 on the bracket forms a stiffener for the guide 18 when itserves as a jaw to prevent the rotation of the tube head, and servesalso to stiffen the entire bracket laterally.

Adjacent the outer end of the lever 8 is the alarm valve 9. This valveis designed to control the flow of the actuating medium to the alarm orwhistle, which in the present instance is steam taken directly from thesteam cavity of the boiler. The valve is arranged to be closed by aspring 29 and is adapted to be opened by the movement of the end of thelever 8 against the protruding portion of the stem 30. The levercontacts the valve stem through the medium of the adjustable contactstud 31 which is threaded through the end of the lever and secured bymeans of the check nut 32. The contact stud is arranged to screw' intothe lever from the side adjacent the alarm valve stem so that anybacking off of this stud will cause a premature sounding of the alarmand not a delayed sounding as would be the case were the stud insertedfrom above.

The alarm valve is secured to the same bracket 22 by means of the bolts33, the bracket thus forming a rigid and integral connection for all ofthe outer end elements of the device, and all being self-contained.

The construction of the valve 9 is as follows: 34 is the body of thevalve, this body being hollow and having at one end an integral end wallor head 35. This head is pierced to slidably accommodate the stem 30 ofthe valve as it is actuated by the lever. Transversely of the body is anintegral wall 36 which divides the hollow of the valve into two cavities39 and 40, the cavity 39 being at the end adjacent the head 35 orexhaust end of the valve and the cavity 40 being adjacent the pressureend of the valve, the valve itself seating with the pressure. This wallis pierced to form a passageway for the stem 30 and is arranged on theone face thereof to form a seat 37 for the valve cone 38, this seatbeing on the face of the wall opposite or removed from the cavity 39, orin other words, on the pressure side of the wall.

The pressure cavity 40 of the valve body is made with an open end, thesame being threaded and being normally closed by means of the valve heada1. This valve head a1 is pierced to serve as a guide for the lower end42 of the valve stem and has a counterbored portion 43 forming a cavityfor the valve spring 29, which encircles the valve stem, the head itselfforming an abutment for the reaction of this spring. The spring reactsat its other end against the cone 38 of the valve. The stem of the valveis milled to provide a plu 'ality of sides with consequent steampassages, where it passes through the hole in the wall 36, and alsowhere it extends into the head 41, and in the external portion of thestem 30 a hole let is provided to allow, by means of the use of a wireor nail as a lever, a slight turning or grinding of the valve cone towork out foreign matter from between the cone and the seat withoutdismantling the valve. The lower end of the head 41 is constructed toform a balljoint connection 4:5 with the steam pipe 46.

This steam pipe drops directly from the valve to the boiler so that theentire pressure cavity of the valve, as well as the pipe 46 is drained,and no water can collect in either the valve or the pipe. And it isconnected to the boiler at a high point of the same by means of theball-joint connection 47 on the boiler plug 48. By this manner ofconnection no scale or other foreign matter will be drawn up with thesteam and the steam itself will be dry.

From the cavity 39 a copper pipe 49 leads to the whistle 10, this pipebeing attached to the body of the valve by means of the ball joint 50.Thus we have provided a simple form of alarm valve to meet the peculiarand local needs of our device and it is a valve that is easily removedfor repairs and provides drainage of the pressure side back to theboiler in order to lessen the chance of scale collecting in and on theseveral parts.

For testing the operative condition of such devices it is desirable thatsuch means be supplied as will give either an. actual condition of lowwater or the equivalent, so that every part of the mechanism Will act inits usual manner and the test will then be a complete and reliable one.In the preceding device this condition was obtained by means of a testline so located that the chilled water in the expansion element could beblown out to the atmosphere and its space filled up with hot waterforced up from the body of water within the boiler. Ihe chilled waterwas then forcibly expelled outwardly through the expansion element andthe change in temperature effected by the parts being filled up withhigher temperature water from within the'boiler. In the presentinvention we make use of a similar test pipe 51, leading from the outerendof the expansion element or the tube head, but we now connect thistest pipe back to the steam space of the boiler at 52, the test valve 53being supplied in the line. By opening the test valve 53 the seal of thedrop pipe is broken by the equalization of pressure at the outer end ofthe expansion element and the water therein drops back into the boiler,the expansion element being filled up with steam through the test pipe51. Thus an actual. demonstration of the operative condition of allparts is obtained. When the test valve 53 is closed the steam in theexpansion element and communicating parts condenses and water is drawnup from the boiler and chills as before. In order that the test pipe maynot be unintentionally left open, this valve 53 is made spring acting sothat the valve at all times stands normally closed. The button 54 on thevalve stem allows the valve to be manually held open for making thetest, but on release it immediately closes. Such a valve is simplyindicated in, 'the drawings as the details thereof may be of variousforms.

Having thus described our invention, what We claim is: j

1. In a low water alarm, a boiler, a fitting attached to said boilerexternally thereof, an expansion element connected to said fittingadjacent the point of attachment of the said fitting to the boiler andextending radially therefrom, means for clamping said fitting to theboiler, said means comprising a clamp joint with clamp bolts in spacedrelationship with each other about the said joint, together and incombination with an alarm, an alarm actuating medium, and means actuatedby the expansion of the said expansion element for admitting theactuating medium to the alarm.

2. In a low water alarm, a boiler, a fitting attached to said boilerexternally thereof an expansion element connected to said fittingadjacent the point of attachment of the said fitting to the boiler andextending radially therefrom, an outlet in the said fitting in an axialline with the point of attachment thereof to the boiler, a screwed plugin said outlet, and means for clamping said fitting ,to the boiler, saidmeans comprising a clamp joint with clamp bolts in spaced relationshipwith each other about the said joint, together and in combination withan alarm, an alarm actuating medium, and means actuated by the expansionof the said expansion element for admitting the actuating medium to thealarm.

3. In a low water alarm, a boiler, an expansion element in fluidcommunication with the said boiler, a tube head attached to the end ofsaid expansion element and in fluid communication therewith, an outletin the end of the said tube head, a screwed plug in said outlet, abracket having a jaw-shaped guide thereon adapted to support and guidethe said tube head, the said tube head hav ing a portion formed to beengaged by the jaw portion of the said guide, the said coengaging partsbeing adapted and disposed to prevent the axial rotation of the saidtube head in. the said guide, together and in combination with an alarm,an alarm actuating lIlQCllllIl'l, and means actuated by the expansion ofthe sand expansion element for admitting the actuating medium to thealarm.

at. In a low water alarm, a boiler, an expansion element, in fluidcommunication with the said boiler, a tube head affixed to one end ofthe said expansion element, a pair of spaced ears extending laterallyfrom the said tube head between the extremities thereof, a fixed bracketadjacent the said tube head, a lever fulcrumed to the said fixedbracket, a portion of the said lever being disposed between the saidspaced ears and having pivoted connection therewith, the

said lever being adapted to be actuated about its fulcrum point by theexpansion and contraction of the said expansion element, an alarm, analarm actuating medium, and means actuated by the movement of the saidlever for controlling the flow of the actuating medium to the saidalarm.

5. In a low water alarm, a boiler, an alarm, an alarm-actuating medium,an ex pansion elementin fluid communication with the said boiler, a tubehead afiixed to the outer end of the said expansion element, said tubehead being supplied with a pair of spaced ears extending laterallytherefrom and between the extremities thereof, means actuated by theexpansion and contraction of the said expansion element for controllingthe flow of the actuating medium to the said alarm, the said meansincluding a bracket, a lever fulcrumed to the said bracket, and anactuating-medium control valve, the said lever being disposed betweenand having pivotal connection with the said spaced ears on the tube headand being adapted to be actuated thereby, the said lever being adaptedto actuate the said control valve, the plane of the said levercoinciding with the plane of the axis of the expansion element and thetube head.

6. In a low water alarm, a boiler, an alarm, an alarm actuating medium,an expansion element in fluid communication with the said boiler, a tubehead ailixed to the outer end of the said expansion element and having apair of spaced ears extending laterally therefrom, means actuated by theexpansion and contraction of the said expansion element for controllingthe flow of the actuating medium to the said alarm, the said meansincluding a bracket, a lever fulcrumed to the said bracket, the saidlever being disposed between the ears of the said tube head and havingpivotal connection therewith and being adapted to be actuated thereby,the said lever being of the first order and having the arms thereof ofunequal length and disposed at substantially ninety degrees from eachother and having the fulcrum point near the intersection of the centerlines of the arms, the long arm of the said lever being disposedapproximately parallel with and below the said expansion element and theshort arm at right angles with the same, the short arm having pivotalconnection with the said tube head, a control valve for the alarmactuating medium, the outer end of the long arm being provided withmeans for actuating the said control valve.

7. In a low water alarm, a boiler, an alarm, an alarm actuating medium,an expansion element in fluid communication with the said boiler, a tubehead affixed to the outer end of the said expansion element, a guide forthe said tube head, means actuated by the expansion and contraction ofthe said expansion element for controlling the flow of the actuatingmedium to the said alarm, the said means including a bracket, a leverfulcrumed to the said bracket, a control valve for the alarm-actuatingmedium, the said lever having pivotal connection with the said tube headand being adapted to be actuated thereby, the said lever being adaptedto actuate the said control valve, the said bracket being formed withtwo spaced side walls and the said lever being disposed and fulcrumedbetween the said walls, the said side walls terminating in and formingthe said guide for the said tube head.

8. In a low water alarm, a boiler, an alarm, an alarm actuating medium,an expansion element in fluid communication with the said boiler, a tubehead aflixed to the outer end of the said expansion element, meansactuated by the expansion and contraction of the said expansion elementfor controlling the flow of the actuatingmedium to the said alarm, thesaid means including a bracket, a lever fulcrumed to the said bracket,the said lever having pivotal connection with the said tube head andbeing adapted to be actuated thereby, a control valve for the alarmactuating medium, an adjustable contact stud in the end of the saidlever adapted to contact the said control valve, the said stud beingthreaded into the said lever from the side thereof adjacent the saidcontrol valve.

9. In a low water alarm, a boiler, a fluid pressure actuated alarm, analarm valve adapted to control the flow of fluid to the said alarm, anexpansion element in fluid communication with the said boiler, saidalarm valve having a hollow body with a wall transversely thereofwhereby the said body is divided into a pressure cavity and an exhaustcavity, a valve stem and a valve cone on the said stem, a seat on thepressure side of the said transverse wall for the said valve cone, thesaid transverse wall being pierced to admit the passage of the saidvalve stem, heads adapted to close the end of the pressure cavity andthe end of the exhaust cavity, and said pressure cavity head beingprovided with fluid pressure connecting means and forming a guide forthe said valve stem, the said valve stem extending through the saidexhaust cavity and through the hole in the head thereof to the outsideof the said body, a spring inserted between the said pressure head andthe said valve cone, a fluid pressure connection between the saidexhaust cavity of the valve body and the said alarm, and means actuatedby the expansion of the said expansion element for actuating the stem ofthe said valve.

10. In a low water alarm, a steam boiler, an alarm, an alarm actuatingmedium, a thermostatically-actuated expansion element in open fluidcommunication at one end with the said boiler below the normal waterline therein, means actuated by the expansion and contraction of thesaid expansion element for controlling the flow of the actuating mediumto the said alarm, a test pipe connected between the outer end of thesaid expansion element and the steam space of the said boiler, anormally-closed valve in the said test pipe, and means for manuallyopening the valve in the said test pipe.

11. In a low Water alarm, a boiler, an alarm, an alarm actuating medium,a thermostatically-actuated expansion element in openfiuid communicationat one end with the said boiler below the normal water line therein,means actuated by the expansion and contraction of the said expansionelement from controlling the flow of the actuating medium to the saidalarm, a test pipe connected between the outer end of the said expansionelement and the steam space of the said boiler, a spring-actuated valvein said test pipe, the said valve being held normally closed by a springand being provided with means for manually holding open the said valve.

In testimony whereof, we aflix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

BYERS W. KADEL. JOHN A. PILCHER. HARRY W. CODDINGTON. Witnesses:

BERNARD 0001;, JAMES EADES.

topics of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of X'atenta,

Washington, D. 0."

